List of people from Topeka, Kansas

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This is a list of people from Topeka, Kansas.

Academia

See also: List of Washburn University alumni

• Warren Faidley (1957- ), meteorologist, storm chaser^[1]
• Riley Gardner (1921-2007), psychologist^[2]
• Wes Jackson (1936- ), environmentalist, The Land Institute^[3]
• Sokoni Karanja (1940- ), child development expert^[4]
• G. Warren Nutter (1923-1979), economist^[5]
• Ruth Patrick (1907-2013), botanist, limnologist^[6]
• Walton T. Roth (1939- ), psychiatrist and psychophysiological researcher^[7]
• David Curtis Skaggs, Jr. (1937- ), historian^[8]
• John Brooks Slaughter (1934-2023), electrical engineer, National Science Foundation director^[9]

Arts and entertainment

Film, television, and theatre

• Brandon Adams (1979- ), actor^[10]
• Annette Bening (1958- ), actress^[11]
• Gregg Binkley (1963- ), actor^[12]
• Roscoe Born (1950-2020), actor^[13]
• Jack Colvin (1934-2005), actor ^{[citation needed]}
• Samuel M. Comer (1893-1974), set decorator^[14]
• George Dickerson (1933-2015), actor, poet, writer^[15]
• Jayne Houdyshell (1953- ), actress^[16]
• Jeff Kready, Broadway actor^{[citation needed]}
• Alix Lapri, actress
• Ted North (1916-1975), actor
• Sheila Ryan (1921-1975), actress^[17]
• Travis Schuldt (1974- ), actor^{[citation needed]}
• Lois Smith (1930- ), actress^[18]
• Fay Tincher (1884-1983), actress^[19]

Journalism

• Elizabeth Farnsworth (1943- ), broadcaster, filmmaker^[20]
• Donald C. Thompson (1885-1947), war photographer, director, producer^[21]

Literature

• Thomas Fox Averill (1949- ), novelist^[22]
• Gwendolyn Brooks (1917-2000), poet^[23]
• Irene Bennett Brown, American author of children's, young adult and adult fiction^[24]
• Jeannette Eyerly (1908-2008), novelist, columnist^[25]
• Janet Fox (1940-2009), fantasy and horror writer, poet^[26]
• Jane Heap (1883-1964), editor, publisher^[27]
• Ben Lerner (1979- ), poet^[28]
• Karen Salyer McElmurray (1956- ), essayist, novelist^[29]
• Eric McHenry (1972- ), poet^[30]
• Frances Clarke Sayers (1897-1989), author, lecturer, librarian^[31]
• Ed Skoog (1971- ), poet^[32]
• Linda Spalding (1943- ), novelist, editor^[33]
• Rex Stout (1886-1975), novelist^[34]
• Max Yoho (1934-2017), author^[35]
• Kevin Young (1970/1971- ), poet, author, Director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture^[36]

Music

• Phil Ehart (1950-), drummer, founding member of the band Kansas
• Streamline Ewing (1917-2002), jazz trombonist^[37]
• Aulsondro "Emcee N.I.C.E." Hamilton, musician, member of KansasCali, known for Crash soundtrack^[38]
• Coleman Hawkins (1904-1969), jazz saxophonist^[39]
• Dave Hope (1949- ), bass guitarist,^[40] former member of Kansas
• Josh Kulick, former heavy metal drummer for Through The Eyes Of The Dead^{[citation needed]}
• Katrina Leskanich (1960- ), singer (Katrina and the Waves)^{[citation needed]}
• Kerry Livgren (1949- ), founding member of the bands Kansas and AD^{[citation needed]}
• Andy McKee (1979- ), musician^{[citation needed]}
• Kirke Mechem (1925- ), composer^[41]
• Origin, metal band^{[citation needed]}
• Kliph Scurlock (1973- ), drummer^{[citation needed]}
• Jamshied Sharifi (1960- ), composer, musician^[42]
• Kenny Starr (1952- ), country singer^[43]
• Rich Williams (1950- ), guitarist,^[44] member of Kansas

Other visual arts

• James Pringle Cook (1947- ), Western landscape painter
• Aaron Douglas (1899-1979), Harlem Renaissance artist^[45]
• Georgia Louise Harris Brown (1918-1999), architect^[46]
• Peter Max Lawrence (1977- ), contemporary media artist^[47]

Business

• Henry Bubb (1907-1989), president and chairman of Capitol Federal Savings Bank
• Brad Garlinghouse (1971- ), business executive, investor^[48]
• Cyrus K. Holliday (1826-1900), first president of Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe railroad; founder of Topeka township
• John F. Kilmartin (1921-2004), retail executive^[49]

Crime

• Alvin "Creepy" Karpis (1907-1979), kidnapper, murderer, robber^[50]
• Anthony LaRette (1951-1995), convicted serial killer executed in Missouri
• Amy Watkins (1973-1999), murder victim^[51]

Medicine

• Karl Bowman (1888-1973), psychiatrist^[52]
• Harriet Lerner (1944- ), clinical psychologist and author^[53]
• Karl Menninger (1893-1990), psychiatrist^[54]
• Roy W. Menninger (1926-2024), psychiatrist^[55]
• William C. Menninger (1899-1966), psychiatrist^[56]
• W. Walter Menninger (1931- ), psychiatrist^[57]
• Karl Targownik (1915-1996), psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor^{[citation needed]}

Military

• Wilder D. Baker (1890-1975), U.S. Navy Vice Admiral during World War II^[58]
• Ronald Evans (1933-1990), astronaut^[59]
• Harry D. Felt (1902-1992), U.S. Navy Admiral^[60]
• Donald Hudson (1895-1967), World War I flying ace^[61]
• Philip Johnston (1892-1978), U.S. Marine Corps code-talker^[62]
• Frank E. Petersen (1932-2015), U.S. Marine Corps Lt. General^[63]

Politics

National

• Linda Carol Brown (1943-2018), plaintiff in Brown v. Board of Education^[64]
• Oliver Brown (1918-1961), plaintiff in Brown v. Board of Education^[65]
• Arthur Capper (1865-1951), U.S. Senator from Kansas, 20th Governor of Kansas^[66]
• Helen Chenoweth-Hage (1938-2006), U.S. Representative from Idaho^[67]
• Albert M. Cole (1901-1994), U.S. Representative from Kansas^[68]
• Sam A. Crow (1926-2022), U.S. federal judge^[69]
• Charles Curtis (1860-1936), 31st Vice President of the United States^[70]
• Ron Estes (born 1956), U.S. representative for Kansas and Kansas State Treasurer^[71]
• Harry W. Fraser (1884-1950), labor leader^[72]
• David Archibald Harvey (1845-1916), U.S. House Delegate from Oklahoma Territory^[73]
• Donald R. Heath (1894-1981), U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia, Laos, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Vietnam^[74]
• Zelma Henderson (1920-2008), plaintiff in Brown v. Board of Education^[75]
• Nancy Kassebaum (1932- ), U.S. Senator from Kansas^[76]
• Alf Landon (1887-1987), 26th Governor of Kansas, 1936 Republican candidate for U.S. President^[77]
• John Thomas Marten (1951- ), U.S. federal judge^[78]
• John Martin (1833-1913), U.S. Senator from Kansas^[79]
• Isabell Masters (1913-2011), perennial third-party candidate for U.S. president^[80]
• Noah C. McFarland (1822-1897), Commissioner of the United States General Land Office^[81]
• John G. Otis (1838-1916), U.S. Representative from Kansas^[82]
• Brad Parscale (1976- ), campaign manager for Donald Trump^[83]
• Megan Phelps-Roper (b. 1986), political activist and former member and dissident of the Westboro Baptist Church
• Nathan Phelps (1958- ), LGBT rights activist^[84]
• Shirley Phelps-Roper (1957- ), lawyer, anti-LGBT political activist^[85]
• John Ritchie (1817-1887), abolitionist^[86]
• Pat Roberts (1936- ), U.S. Senator from Kansas^[87]
• William R. Roy (1926-2014), U.S. Representative from Kansas^[88]
• Thomas Ryan (1837-1914), U.S. Representative from Kansas and Ambassador to Mexico^[89]
• John States Seybold (1897-1982), Governor of Panama Canal Zone^[90]
• Jim Slattery (1948- ), U.S. Representative from Kansas^[91]
• John L. Waller (1850-1907), U.S. Consul to Madagascar^[92]

State

See also: List of Governors of Kansas, List of justices of the Kansas Supreme Court, List of current Kansas state representatives, and List of current Kansas state senators

• John Alcala (1959- ), Kansas state legislator^[93]
• Carol A. Beier (1958- ), Kansas Supreme Court Justice^[94]
• Robert Coldsnow (1924-2014), Kansas state legislator^[95]
• Robert E. Davis (1939-2010), Kansas Supreme Court Chief Justice^[96]
• Joan Finney (1925-2001), 42nd Governor of Kansas^[97]
• Shanti Gandhi (1940- ), physician and legislator^[98]
• A. C. Hamlin (1881-1912), Oklahoma state legislator^[99]
• Alexander Miller Harvey (1867-1928), 15th Lieutenant Governor of Kansas^[100]
• Anthony Hensley (1953- ), Kansas state legislator^[101]
• Marla Luckert (1955- ), Kansas Supreme Court justice^[102]
• Lutie Lytle (1875-1950), lawyer, 1st African-American woman admitted to Kansas bar^[103]
• Kay McFarland (1935-2015), Kansas Supreme Court Chief Justice^[104]
• Eric Rosen (1953- ), Kansas Supreme Court Justice^[105]
• Caleb Stegall (1971- ), Kansas Supreme Court Justice^[106]
• Jeff Stone (1961- ), Wisconsin state legislator^[107]
• Clifford W. Trow (1929- ), Oregon state legislator^[108]
• William C. Webb (1824-1898), Wisconsin and Kansas legislator^[109]
• Jackie Winters (1937-2019), Oregon state legislator^[110]

Local

See also: List of mayors of Topeka, Kansas

• Jacob Alan Dickinson (1911-1971), Topeka Board of Education president, desegregation supporter^[111]

Religion

• Lillian M. Mitchner (1862/64-1954), social reformer; President, Kansas State Woman's Christian Temperance Union
• Fred Phelps (1929-2014), leader of the Westboro Baptist Church^[112]
• Charles Sheldon (1857-1946), minister, author^[113]

Sports

American football

See also: List of Washburn Ichabods head football coaches

• Chris Beatty (1973– ), coach^[114]
• Tom Dinkel (1956– ), linebacker^[115]
• Forrestal Hickman (1993– ), offensive tackle^[116]
• Teven Jenkins (1998– ), offensive tackle^[117]
• Mike Lemon (1951– ), linebacker^[118]
• Trey Lewis (1985– ), defensive tackle^[119]
• Lamar Mady (1990– ), center^[120]
• Larry McGinnis (1899–1948), guard^[121]
• Jack Nason (1899–1977), tackle, wingback^[122]
• John H. Outland (1871–1947), college football coach and namesake of Outland Trophy^[123]
• John Parrella (1969– ), defensive tackle^[124]
• Ryan Torain (1986– ), running back^[125]
• Chuck Washington (1964– ), defensive back^[126]
• Troy Wilson (1970– ), defensive end^[127]

Baseball

• Aaron Crow (1986– ), pitcher^[128]
• Rick DeHart (1970– ), pitcher^[129]
• Bingo DeMoss (1889–1965), 2nd baseman, manager^[130]
• Art Griggs (1884–1938), 1st baseman^[131]
• Ross Grimsley (1950– ), pitcher^[132]
• Clarence Heise (1907–1999), pitcher^[133]
• Bernadine Maxwell (–1988), utility player^[134]
• Larry Miller (1937–2018), pitcher^[135]
• Dink Mothell (1897–1980), pitcher, utility player^[136]
• Don O'Riley (1945–1997), pitcher^[137]
• Scott Taylor (1966– ), pitcher^[138]
• Mike Torrez (1946– ), pitcher^[139]

Basketball

• Chris Babb (1990– ), shooting guard in the Israeli Basketball Premier League
• Leo Lyons (1987– ), power forward^[140]
• Fred Slaughter (1941–2016), center, sports agent^[141]
• Dean Smith (1931–2015), University of North Carolina and Basketball Hall of Fame coach^[142]
• Mark Turgeon (1965– ), head basketball coach at University of Maryland; formerly coach at Texas A&M University^[143]
• Kyle Weems (1989– ), small forward^[144]

Golf

• Marilynn Smith (1929–2019), pro golfer and LPGA co-founder, member of World Golf Hall of Fame
• Gary Woodland (1984– ), golfer^[145]

Racing

• Fred Comer (1893–1928), race car driver^[146]
• Louis Durant (1910–1972), race car driver^[147]
• Bruce Hill (1949–2017), race car driver^[148]

Other

• Simon Becher (1999– ), soccer player^[149]
• Bob Benoit (1954– ), pro bowler^[150]
• Casey Converse (1957– ), U.S. Olympic swimmer, coach^[151]
• Art Crews (1959– ), pro wrestler^[152]
• Bob Davis (1945– ), sportscaster^[153]
• Bill Disney (1932–2009), U.S. Olympic speed skater^[154]
• Jack Disney (1930– ), U.S. Olympic cyclist^[155]
• Melvin Douglas, Olympic wrestler, 1996 and 2000^[156] and World Championship gold medalist
• Max Falkenstien (1924–2019), radio broadcaster^[157]
• Margaret Thompson Murdock (1942– ), member of the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame, and first woman to win a medal in shooting at the Summer Olympics^[158]
• Charles Nelson (1933– ), U.S. Olympic volleyball player^[159]
• Anna Seaton (1964– ), U.S. Olympic rower^[160]

See also

• Biography portal
• Kansas portal

• List of lists of people from Kansas